For a few decades, a certain farm animal presided over the local high school football scene. He made picks each week, covered the big game and made a snide comment or two on occasion.

He was universally loved by everyone not affiliated with Angola.

When you’re in this line of work, football can take over your life. It becomes the focal point of your day (even over taking a dip in a river and itching your back on a tree trunk). You can lose sight of certain things, such as who is next on that list of becoming your bacon, your sausage, your pork.

We will just leave it at that.

So just as retiring CEOs need an heir apparent and graduating quarterbacks get replaced, prognosticating cartoon animals sometimes have a changing of the guard.

My name is Blitz.

First, let’s address the obvious. Yes, I am a bear. I know what you’re thinking, what does a bear know about football? Please don’t judge all of us Ursidae (look it up) purely on the consistent ineptitude of a certain professional football franchise. We are big like football players, we growl like football players and we can sleep for up to 100 straight days in the winter. If that isn’t a triple threat, I don’t know what is.

I will be around just as frequently as those other prognosticators. Expect game picks, insight and some light-hearted columns through Thanksgiving weekend and beyond.